httpx

Language: Python

Web

httpx was created by Encode to provide a modern, high-performance HTTP client for Python. It is designed as a next-generation replacement for `requests` with async support and better HTTP/2 handling, making it ideal for modern web applications and APIs.

httpx is a fully featured HTTP client for Python 3, supporting both synchronous and asynchronous requests, connection pooling, and HTTP/2.

Installation

pip: pip install httpx

conda: conda install -c conda-forge httpx

Usage

httpx allows sending HTTP requests synchronously or asynchronously. It supports custom headers, cookies, timeout handling, streaming responses, and HTTP/2 features.

Synchronous GET request

import httpx
response = httpx.get('https://httpbin.org/get')
print(response.status_code)
print(response.json())

Performs a simple synchronous GET request and prints the status code and JSON response.

Asynchronous GET request

import httpx
import asyncio

async def fetch():
    async with httpx.AsyncClient() as client:
        r = await client.get('https://httpbin.org/get')
        print(r.json())

asyncio.run(fetch())

Demonstrates performing an asynchronous GET request using httpx.

Custom headers and cookies

import httpx
headers = {'User-Agent': 'my-app/0.0.1'}
cookies = {'session_id': '12345'}
response = httpx.get('https://httpbin.org/headers', headers=headers, cookies=cookies)
print(response.json())

Sends custom HTTP headers and cookies in a request.

Timeouts and retries

import httpx
try:
    response = httpx.get('https://httpbin.org/delay/10', timeout=5)
except httpx.TimeoutException:
    print('Request timed out')

Demonstrates handling request timeouts.

Streaming responses

import httpx
with httpx.stream('GET', 'https://httpbin.org/stream/20') as response:
    for chunk in response.iter_bytes():
        print(chunk)

Streams the response content in chunks without loading everything into memory.

Error Handling

httpx.RequestError: Catch network exceptions, invalid URLs, or connection issues.

httpx.TimeoutException: Set a reasonable timeout and handle it appropriately in your code.

Best Practices

Use `AsyncClient` for concurrent requests to improve performance.

Reuse client instances to take advantage of connection pooling.

Always set timeouts to avoid hanging requests.

Handle exceptions such as `httpx.RequestError` for robust error management.

Leverage HTTP/2 support for faster multiplexed requests when possible.

Official Docs Github